Hi guys, I am part of a study group that meets every two weeks to study a certain text basically a chapter per meeting. The study group is roughly affiliated with the FWBO but most of the people who meet in this group don't belong to a specific tradition, but the largest following when they do follow a tradition is within the Theravadin tradition. My new attendance if you will as a follower of Tibetan teachings has opened up a minor can of worms as the non-affiliated people have noticed that Theravadin texts have sort of dominated over the last couple of years. I have sort of put my foot in my mouth when I told them that I had been studying a tibetan shedra course for three years and they want me to pick a Mahayana text to be studied after we have finished our book. I stupidly agreed and realised when I got home that I don't have a clue where to start or pick. Mahayana is such a general term but I would prefer a text that perhaps avoids tibetan tantra as that could just confuse the group even more, if I was to show them any part of tantra it would probably be the basic four contemplations that form part of my ngondro as I think they are relevant irrespective of tradition. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated Jim

AdmiralJim wrote: I have sort of put my foot in my mouth when I told them that I had been studying a tibetan shedra course for three years and they want me to pick a Mahayana text to be studied after we have finished our book. I stupidly agreed and realised when I got home that I don't have a clue where to start or pick.

Don't underestimate yourself.

Mahayana is such a general term but I would prefer a text that perhaps avoids tibetan tantra as that could just confuse the group even more, if I was to show them any part of tantra it would probably be the basic four contemplations that form part of my ngondro as I think they are relevant irrespective of tradition. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated Jim

And even much of Mahayana just looks like profundity followed by a bag of spells.

How about the Heart Sutra. Or parts of the Lotus Sutra or the Avatamsaka Sutra (so specifically Samantabhadra's Prayer for example). Or from the Translating the Words of the Buddha website, "The Questions of the Nāga King Sāgara" (Theravadin read people should accept inclusion of nagas although devas are more common in suttas) or "The Display of the Pure Land of Sukhāvatī" (because it is not such a fantastic, unbelievable sutra wrt imagery).

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.